The 7 Best Home and Beauty Products to Buy at Trader Joe's, According to Employees
If you've ever shopped at Trader Joe's, you're likely well aware that you can score some pretty incredible wine deals, several stellar cheeses for a steal and a wide-variety of freezer staples for quick-fix meals. And perhaps you've even memorized this year's top 9 Trader Joe's fan favorites and the 21 essential crew member product picks for 2021. (If so, you've officially earned MVP market status!)
But did you know that Joe also stocks some really impressive beauty and home products? Many, including the $10 essential oil kit we fell in love with this spring, are limited-time only offers. So if you see anything you definitely want to try from this list of employee-favorite Trader Joe's home and beauty products, be sure to snag them on your next shopping trip!
Related: 20 Trader Joe's Items Our Editors Won't Leave the Store Without
Shea Butter and Coconut Oil Hair Serum
This $3.99 per 2.75-ounce tube hair treatment "works better than any other high-end hair product, for a fraction of the price," according to one employee. This serum is infused with much more than shea butter and coconut oil; argan oil, vitamin E, pro-vitamin B5, keratin and several plant-based extracts (including black currant, açai and macadamia seed) give this serum its de-frizzing and shine-boosting superpowers.
Dry Shampoo
Whether they use it before a shift at the supermarket, while traveling or after a workout, Trader Joe's employees swear by this dry shampoo. Sold for $4.99 for 1.35 ounces, this affordable travel-size bottle will leave locks feeling fresh and less oily thanks to kaolin clay and oat flour. It's completely vegan and safe on color-treated hair, too.
Related: The 9 Best Trader Joe's Products of 2021, According to Customers
Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer
The concept for this crazy-affordable moisturizer (seriously, it's just $8.99 for 2.5 ounces) came from a discussion between a crew member and Trader Joe's beauty buyer. Although she swore by TJ's products, the employee still used a $50 name-brand gel moisturizer. "Eager to see what the fuss was about, our Buyer tried it for herself, and she was instantly sold on its light, aqueous formula. What she was not sold on, however, was its price tag," Trader Joe's explains on its website. Convinced her experts could beat that price and deliver the same quality, the beauty buyer tapped a high-end skincare producer overseen by a panel of board-certified dermatologists. The result? This water-based gel moisturizer with soothing and hydrating ingredients like aloe leaf juice and green tea, birch leaf, milk thistle extracts and sodium hyaluronate.
Blueberry Açaí Facial Scrub
Trader Joe's crew members adore exfoliating with this scrub that's made with US-grown blueberries and açaí fruit extract. The resulting scrub is just-a-hint grainy so it won't damage skin; instead, alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) gently exfoliate while colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil and plant extracts soothe the skin. Available for $5.99 for 2 ounces, a little will go a long way since it's recommended to use this scrub as part of your healthy skincare routine two to three times per week.
Super Lemon Room Spritz
With just four ingredients, this all-natural lightly-scented air freshener is a breath of fresh air, Trader Joe's employees say. Instead of overpowering harsh or synthetic fragrances, this is made with water lemon myrtle oil, spearmint oil and a sorbitol-based emulsifier to keep things well-blended. "It's truly the air-freshening alternative you've been waiting for," according to Trader Joe's staff. "A single spritz o' Spritz goes a long way, but our Buyer keeps a bottle in every room—least no bathroom, kitchen, or closet go un-freshened." Score a 1.69-ounce bottle for $1.99.
Related: 9 Underrated Products at Trader Joe's You Should Try, According to Employees
Lavender Dryer Bags
If you like snuggling up to clean, lightly-scented towels and sheets as much as TJ's employees (sounds dreamy to us!), then these $3.99-for-four laundry bags definitely deserve a spot on your next Trader Joe's shopping list. Simply add one sachet to your next load (each lasts for about 10 cycles) and your fabrics will come out laced with the aroma of relaxing, floral and herbal lavender.
Free and Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent
Speaking of laundry, this is one of the first eco-friendly liquid detergents ever sold—and it remains one of the best, crew members insist. Especially now that the hypoallergenic, coconut-derived surfactant detergent is "free and clear" of optical brighteners and fragrances. In their place: powerful stain-fighting enzymes (protease, amylase and mannanese). Each 50-ounce bottle is $5.99.
